


Free Like a Bird

by fimlover66



Series: The Lily Saga [2]
Category: RWBY
Genre: Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Complete, F/F, I lost interest and ended it at a sensible location, I'm Sorry, LGBTQ Character, Nonbinary Character, Other, Reunions, Romance, Yuri, criminal, not the location where I originally wanted it end..., this story isn't what you think it is
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-23
Updated: 2020-05-31
Packaged: 2020-10-01 18:28:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 7,248
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20365843
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fimlover66/pseuds/fimlover66
Summary: this is the sequel to The Death of Night, taking place after everyone graduates Beacon. The fall of Beacon did not happen.When called in to interrogate a member of the White Fang, Blake comes face to face with her ex-girlfriend that she left behind when she left the White Fang. Will they be able to rekindle the flame of romance? will they want to? read to find out.seriously read The Death of Night first(https://archiveofourown.org/works/20342413)  if your worried about the rating skip between "And Lily was still pacing. I shook my head. Typical Lily." and skip to "Then next morning just about every member of the White Fang was crammed into the assembly hall" and the story is now rated teen!





	1. The Past Came Back

“I’ll lead you to our newest white fang captive.” Ironwood stated as he led me and my teammates down the long hallway of cells.

“What can you tell us about him,” Weiss asked, as always, straight to the point.

“I’ll lead you to our newest white fang captive,” Ironwood stated as he led me and my teammates down the long hallway of cells.

“What can you tell us about him,” Weiss asked, as always, straight to the point.

“She won't tell us her name, she hasn’t talked much at all, though I do believe that she has some idea of what's going on in the organization, but the four of you seem to have found a method to make them talk.” I’m the way we can get them to talk, White Fang members are often more likely to talk to fellow faunus as well as someone who disowned them self from the Schnee family name, then average humans, Although the two of us are perfectly capable of handling any situation we might get ourselves into. Yang and Ruby accompanied us to our interrogations.

“What kind of faunus is she?” I asked.

“Owl, I believe” Ironwood responded, “she has large brown wings.”

I know that that could be referring to a multiple faunus, but I had this nagging suspicion that somehow it could be her. 

"What is her weapon?" I asked hesitantly, afraid of hearing one particular answer.

"That’s not important for her weapon has been confiscated, but if you must know, it is almost identical to yours Blake. Only hers is purple." I stopped dead in my tracks. It's her. It has to be her. So many emotions were flowing through me at that moment, I felt moisture in my eyes, which I rubbed away before they could be considered tears. The only one that seemed to notice my inner turmoil was Yang, who put her hand around my shoulder and gave them I light comforting squeeze, I gave her a forced smile in return.

I braced myself as Ironwood opened the cell revealing who I simultaneously hoped and feared to see. 

After opening the cell he, as usual, left us with the captive, knowing that we could handle any problems that could come our way, for we all had our weapons and they always had their weapons taken away. 

In the cell sat a girl, my age, she had purple hair with a lock of black on the side. I can't believe she still has that, I thought it made me feel even worse about what I have done. She was sitting sideways on the bench facing away from us, propping up her torso with her wings. 

"I told you already, I'm not talking," she stated, still not looking at us.

"L-Lily..." I stumbled to get the name out. 

That made her turn around, her eyes wide with shock and disbelief. "Bla-Blakey..." She whispered, "is that really you?" Tears filled her eyes as well as mine.

"Yea Lil’, it's me," I whispered in return.

"Blake, mind explaining exactly what's going on!" Demanded Weiss, because of the firmness of her voice, I knew she wouldn't settle for anything less than the truth and only the whole truth at that. I sighed and decided to start with an introduction.


	2. Telling The Team

After meeting Lily, my team members walked me back to the house we shared with the former members of Team JNPR. All I wanted to do was go to my room and cry, or lose myself in a book, but my teammates, especially Yang, had other ideas.

They sat me down in the main room, Jaune and Pyrrha were there talking, it was an open concept apartment so I could see Ren in the kitchen cooking dinner, and Norra was hovering over him talking a mile a minute.

Us entering, with me clearly being in distressed, caused all of the former team JNPR, excluding Ren who continued cooking, to sit me down and surround me. Pyrrha even put a comforting hand on my shoulder and asked what happened and if I met anyone I knew. They all knew what we were doing and my history with the White Fang. I nodded in response to her second question, ignoring the first. Lucky, Yang took the liberty of answering that one, by explaining in detail our encounter with Lily.

Once Yang finished speaking everyone was silent, even Nora, who's not even silent in her sleep.

"I'm so sorry," whispered Pyrrha.

"You shouldn't say sorry to ME! I'm the one who messed up!" I snapped.

Pyrrha stepped backward in response to my uncharacteristic outburst, whispering an apology. 

"Blake, she just wants to help you," Weiss stated in a rather annoyed manner.

"We all do..." Ruby said and looked around the room at all of their teammates, "Weiss, Yang, me and Jaune, Nora, Pyrrha, and Ren too, we're all your teammates, and more importantly, we’re your friends, and we all care about you." everyone nodded in response.

"When we found out that you were White Fang, you made a promise to us, to tell the truth, so Blake talk to us!" demanded Yang.

"Fine, I'll tell you..." I looked down at my lap and sighed, "I made a mistake when I left the White Fang..." 

"You mean that you should have stayed in the White Fang?" Nora asked in her usual sing-songy voice, despite the seriousness of the conversation.

"No... Yes... I don't know anymore!" I buried my head in my hands, unsure about what to do, I'm not used to verbalizing my feelings, I usually just keep them bottled up inside of me.

"Get a hold of yourself Blake!" ordered Weiss in the voiced that dubbed her ice queen. "You needed to leave the White Fang and you know it!"

"But I didn't have to leave Lily!" I snapped.

"Blake, you had no way of knowing that Lily would have wanted to leave as well; Yang did inform us that she was pretending to agree with their changes, and you couldn't risk your future on the chance of her thwarting your plans," Ren, the voice of reason, called from the kitchen.

"Ren's right," Pyrrha voiced her agreement as she went to place her hand back on my shoulder, but I swatted it away, and with my normal eyesight blurred with tears, I got up and went to my room.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I used a passage from the Guardians of Ga'Hoole series by Kathryn Lasky as a plot device. I do not own that series nor the passage I used.

"She locked the door." I heard Ruby say.

"She clearly wants to be left alone, so I say, let her be alone," Jaune replied.

"Jaune, you clearly don't understand, back when we were students, when we found out about her past she made a promise to me, to our whole team, not to hide things from us," Weiss said rather loudly, then her voice turned to demanding as she said: "so let us help you, Blake Belladonna!"

"I already told you everything, you know about my past! You know about Lily! Now please LEAVE ME ALONE!" I exclaimed, I normally don’t raise my voice, but I was not in the mood to deal with my friends.

After that they seemed to get the message, for they stopped trying to converse with me and proceed to whisper among themselves, then they left altogether. After a few minutes, I seemed to have cried myself to sleep. When I Awoke I whipped away the remaining tears from my eyes and looked around my room, to find my eyes landing on some books, but not just any books, but the Guardians of Ga'Hoole book series and tears filled my eyes once more as I remember Lily's sweet voice reading me those novels to me. Well known fact, I love to read, little know fact, I love being read to even more, Lily knew that and this was our favorite book series ever since we were kids. after I left the White Fang the first books I bought was that series. I even went through them, folding the pages to mark their favorite passages. so it would almost be like they were the same the collection that she shared with Lily a nostalgic whim I pick up a random book, book six, The Burning, and open to a random page, at this point in the story the little elf owl Gylphie just escaped from her captors and was flying back home to her friends. In the book, there was a song sung about the little owl, and the song is what I quietly read aloud to myself.

"At the edge of the avalanche  
at the glacier's icy rim  
grows the flower of the snowfields  
trembling in the wintry wind.

it dares live in edges  
where naught else would ever grow,  
so fragile, so unlikely  
an owl slices through this blow.

she dares the katabats  
her gizzard madly quivers,  
but for her dearest of friends,  
she vows she shall deliver.

like the lily of the avalanche  
the glaciers icy rose  
like the flower of the wind  
the bright fierceness in her glows

the bravest are the smallest  
the strongest are the weakest  
the most fearful have the courage  
to battle what is wrong"

By the end of the passage I was more resistant than reading, I memorized multiple passages from this series, but I believe that this was the first one. As a kid, the words didn't quite resonate with me as they did that evening. Like little Gylphie, facing the dangerously strong karabate winds to be with her friends again, I will fight unfathomable odd to get Lily back. It’s not that I'm afraid of many of the possible scenarios for falling; but like the skog(a type of singer in the story) sung '... the most fearful find the courage to battle what is wrong,' and it is wrong that Lily's locked up, what she did was not her fault, she was just with the wrong people, if it was anybody's fault; it was mine. I should have taken her with me. A new wave of tears came at that thought, but I knit my eyebrows and had a new thought: I'm going to make things right.


	4. The Promise

this chapter contains another expert from the Guardians of Ga’Hoole book series, created by Kathryn Lasky, I do not own that series or RWBY. 

I want to remind/ tell you that the Ga’Hoole series is about personified owls.

For this excerpt you need to know that Soren and Gylfie are very young, just learning to fly, but they’re trapped in St. Aegolius Academy for Orphaned Owls, which keeps the owls in underground caverns, where they brainwash them don't teach them to fly. Grimble fought the brainwashing and taught Soren and Gylfie how to fly.

~~~~~~~~~~

The next morning I decided to pay Lily another visit, alone, without even telling my teammates.

Ironwood let me go to Lily's cell and talk to her, although he seemed confused about why I was going alone.

I just asked for his trust and luckily, he gave it to me.

I opened Lily's door to find her once again looking away from me. She responded to the sound of the opening door with a sigh. I know that sigh; it meant to leave me alone. 

"Lil', it's me," I whisper walking right up to the material separating us.

"What are you doing here, planning on abandoning me again?" Lily responded, her words were spoken in rapid succession, banging together, Her hands were clenched into fists. Great, now she's mad, I thought, you may not know this but Lily has anger issues, serious anger issues and once she gets angry it’s hard to calm her down or even get her to think reasonably, unless of course, you know what you’re doing. And I may be one of the only people who knows how. Her anger also activates her semblance, the anger she gets the faster she gets in all ways, she once described it to me like everything, just slows down around her.

Back when we were in the white fang, her anger separated her from everyone else and this boundary had been there since we were little, no one wanted to get close to someone with anger issues, no one except me.

“I don't want to hurt you again, I'm sorry for what I did, and Lily, but I will get you out of here, somehow.” I looked her in the eyes so she could see the determination that fired within them. That seemed to calm her down a little.

“I came here to read to you,” I reached inside my bag, showing her a well-loved book, pages were folded in all sorts of weird ways. It was The Capture the first book one Guardians of Ga’Hoole book series. Her eyes widened, and a small smile crossed her lips, I flipped through the pages until I found the piece of paper I used as a bookmark, letting it fall to the ground.

I scanned the page until I had found the part that I wanted.

“  
...  
It was the sky, black, chinked with stars, stars that seemed so close that an owl could have reached out with a talon and plucked one, Memories rushed back. Memories of the sky and breezes -- yes, indeed, they did feel a wind, even here. Oh, they were so close. Yes, they believed! Yes, they could this, and then, just as Soren and Gylfie swung their wings up into their first stroke, Skench burst in. She was ferocious looking in full war regalia. Immense battle claws made her talons twice their size. A metallic needle extended from the tip of her beak and glimmered in the slice of the new moon that hung like a blade over the library.

“Flap!” screeched Grimble. “Flap. You will do it! You will do it! Believe! Power! Two wing beats and you're up.” But the little owls seemed frozen in their fear, Their wings hung like stones at their sides. They were doomed.

Soren and Gylfie watched transfixed as Skench advanced toward them, and then something very peculiar happened. Skench, moved by a power unseen, sudden it slammed into the wall, the wall that had the notches that Grimble had described in which the flecs were stored. 

“Go! This is your chance!” Grimble shouted.

And indeed it was. Skench seemed to have been immobilized, paralyzed. 

Soren and Gylfie began to pump their wings, they felt themselves rise.

“You can do it! You believe! Feel it in your gizzard. You are a creature of flight. Fly, my children. Fly!” And then there was a terrible shriek and the night was splattered with blood.

Don't look back! Don’t look back, Soren! Believe!” But this time it was not Grimble calling. It was Gylfie. Just as they reached the stone rim, they felt a curl of warm air. And it was as if vast and gentle wings had reached out of the night and swept them up into the sky. They did not look back.  
...  
”

I looked up from the book as I closed it. I looked her in the eyes, once more and said: “Just like Soren and Gylfie learned to fly and escaped from the prison of St. Aegolius Academy for Orphaned Owls, I will be your Grimble and get you out of this prison, and let you fly free in the warm night air.”

“Only hopefully you don't die in the process,” she laughed, oh how I missed her laugh. And at that moment I realized how much I missed all of her. How much I wanted to pick up our relationship where it left off. I laughed as well. 

“Don't worry, I have no plans of dying. But I will get you out of here.” I responded.

We just stayed there smiling at each other, for an unknown amount of time. I was brought back to reality by my scroll going off, it was Yang, my team was starting to worry about me. I begrudgingly left Lily with the promise that I would return.


	5. Chapter 5

I went back to the house trying to pretend that everything is normal and that I was not visiting Lily, but they saw right through that; they knew me too well.

“You were with Lily, weren't you Blake?” Ruby asked in her innocent voice.

“Yes,” I responded, they already knew so I might I as well admit it, it’s not like I did anything wrong.

“Blake, what you need to do is just get over her,” Yang suggested in her rather blunt fashion, “I mean, you did do it before when you left the White Fang.”  
“That was because I linked her to my life at the White Fang,” I shook my head slowly as I let out a sigh, “it’s different now.” I looked down at my feet, not knowing what I was feeling.

Pyrrha gingerly put her arm around my shoulders and guided me to a couch as she said that we should talk about it. I nodded allowing her to do so.  
“Can you tell us why you keep going back to her?” the tall girl asked in her usual caring voice, once we were seated on of the couch. She was sitting on my left and Ruby took the seat to my right.

“I think after all these years I still have feelings for her, feeling of longings, and feelings of guilt,” I begrudgingly admitted to my friends, still not looking at any of them. “I need to get her out of there,” I the last part with a level of determination that I didn’t know I had.

My housemates looked around at each other, exchanging glances and nods before Ruby spoke for all those present. “How can we help?”

With my friends’ approval and willingness to help, I found a breath of enthusiasm, hope and the determination that I had in my voice.  
“We need to get her out of jail,” I stated.

“Okay, but do you have a plan or what?” Nora asked.

I looked down at the floor again, non verbally saying that I don’t even have a sliver of a plan...


	6. Planning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> they come up with a plan

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for not posting, I realized that I forgot to post this chapter so now you all have two new chapters to enjoy!

A week went by before I went back to the jail. In that time we tried to get her out using legal methods, none had worked. As I approached her cell she was looking away from us; though I knew that she could hear us coming. “Lily” I whispered. She turned around to look at, tears glistened in her eyes, and A smile appeared on her face. 

“I thought that you gave up on me,” she responded, at a normal speed which was good, because that meant that she was not angry.

“I haven’t given up on you. I have a plan for you to escape.”

“‘Why would you do that? who would want to be with someone like me anyway I’m a good for nothing criminal. I just get mad and hurt people. I’m a monster,” she whimpered.

“Okay, Lily there are a few things wrong with that statement:” I started “ one, you're a wonderful person, you’ve just become a victim to what the White Fang told you, and you are not a monster, You’re broken. You have been wronged, I let out a sight before continuing, "by me, I shouldn’t have left you that night.” 

“Bu-” She started, but I stopped her before she could get her thoughts out. I stopped her with our childhood.

“Lily, do you remember when we were kids we pretend to be Guardians of Ga’Hoole,” she nodded, remember what they did in legends, I know she did, we spent so much time memorizing those passages, but I resisted one of the legends: “Once upon a very long time ago, in the time of Glaux, there was an order of knightly owls, from a kingdom called Ga'Hoole, who would rise up each night and perform noble deeds. They spoke no words but true ones, their purpose was to right all wrongs, to make strong the weak, mend the broken, vanquish the proud, and make powerless those who abused the frail. With hearts sublime they would take flight... “ by the end she was quoting with me, a small smile began to appear on her face. “Doing this is the work of a guardian. I am working on righting the wrongs that have been done to you, and I am mending the broken, and making strong the weak. My friends and I will those noble guardians for you, just like in the legends.” her smile was genuine yet tears streaked her cheeks, no one had offered to help her and made her feel worthwhile in way too long... I planned on changing that.

“We’re breaking you out tonight. My friends and I have come up with a plan.” she gave a serious nod I told her the plan then I texted Pyrrha and Jaune to start the plan they were standing on the glass roof. I leaned against the glass as I felt it slip as, with Jaune applying her semblance she unfolded the metal keeping the plastic in place. I let it open just enough to slip her some fire dust before I sealed it closed with ice dust.   
“What time is the guard change?” I asked this was the last variable in the plan.  
“About midnight,” she responded.  
“I’ll start before midnight, so everything will be ready by then, as soon as the guards are switching, I’ll be waiting at the window to take you home,” I whispered then left, neither of us could wait.


	7. Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Put the plan into action

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I posted two chapters on the same day, please read them in order.

It was the dead of night when I approached the jail the weather was temperate, with very little wind. The moon was bearly a sliver so we could escape under the cover of darkness. Everything was as was suppose to be, one of the reasons we chose that night. It was a little before eleven pm when I climbed the building careful not to be noticed. Since we didn’t know exactly when the guards changed we needed to be there early. I once on top I checked my scroll for the time, eleven twenty, I’m getting rusty I thought. Time to start, I did some fancy trickery to unlock the window and open it a crack, and waited. I watched the guards. And then at eleven fifty, they left, and it was time to begin. 

Lily melted the ice holding up her cell. I held my breath as the panel fell and then let it out as the panel stopped with just enough room for her to escape. Which she did. She flew up a huge grin appeared on her face as she saw me open the window all the way for her to fly through, and right into my arms, wrapping her wings around me like we used to do. I gave her a quick hug. Before speaking. “Time for a reunion latter now we need to leave follow me.” I lead her through the back allays to my shared home. When we approached the house Jaune was there with the door open so we could get Lily inside as quickly as possible. Everyone was up waiting for us. Ruby ran up to embrace her in a hug; making the faunus very uncoverable and a little bit scared, her wings uncountably folded tightly on her back as she made herself as small as possible, for she was really not used to physical contact, especially from strangers, or really, anyone but me.

Ruby must have noticed the fausus’ discomfort for she started to release the hug but was stopped by Norra jumping in, tackling them both with a tight embrace.

The motherly redhead noticed as well, she placed a hand on the overly enthusiastic woman’s shoulder. “Norra, Ruby, why don’t we give Lily some space,” they two listened to Pyrrha and realized the overwhelmed faunus who stepped towards me and grabbed my hand 

“It’s late we should get some rest.” stated Ren, “I don’t believe that we discussed where our guest will be sleeping,” he continued looking directly at me. I could tell that he knew that I had something planned out. 

“She can sleep in my room, with me,” I announced to Lily’s delight.

“Blake, a word please,” Wiess beckoned me away from the group. 

“Knowing you, I know you thought this over, but you haven’t been together in over half a decade, are you sure that you two are ready for this,” I nodded, glancing at a nervus Lily. “If you change your mind, you can join me in mine,” she offered.  
“Thanks for the offer, but I don’t think that I will take that offer.” I smiled as I walked back to the group, or more specifically, my oldest friend.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They bring Lily home.

It was the dead of night when I approached the jail the weather was temperate, with very little wind. The moon was bearly a sliver so we could escape under the cover of darkness. Everything was as was suppose to be, one of the reasons we chose that night. It was a little before eleven pm when I climbed the building careful not to be noticed. Since we didn’t know exactly when the guards changed we needed to be there early. I once on top I checked my scroll for the time, eleven twenty, I’m getting rusty I thought. Time to start, I did some fancy trickery to unlock the window and open it a crack, and waited. I watched the guards. And then at eleven fifty, they left, and it was time to begin. 

Lily melted the ice holding up her cell. I held my breath as the panel fell and then let it out as the panel stopped with just enough room for her to escape. Which she did. She flew up a huge grin appeared on her face as she saw me open the window all the way for her to fly through, and right into my arms, wrapping her wings around me like we used to do. I gave her a quick hug. Before speaking. “Time for a reunion latter now we need to leave follow me.” I lead her through the back allays to my shared home. When we approached the house Jaune was there with the door open so we could get Lily inside as quickly as possible. Everyone was up waiting for us. Ruby ran up to embrace her in a hug; making the faunus very uncoverable and a little bit scared, her wings uncountably folded tightly on her back as she made herself as small as possible, for she was really not used to physical contact, especially from strangers, or really, anyone but me.

Ruby must have noticed the fausus’ discomfort for she started to release the hug but was stopped by Norra jumping in, tackling them both with a tight embrace.

The motherly redhead noticed as well, she placed a hand on the overly enthusiastic woman’s shoulder. “Norra, Ruby, why don’t we give Lily some space,” they two listened to Pyrrha and realized the overwhelmed faunus who stepped towards me and grabbed my hand 

“It’s late we should get some rest.” stated Ren, “I don’t believe that we discussed where our guest will be sleeping,” he continued looking directly at me. I could tell that he knew that I had something planned out. 

“She can sleep in my room, with me,” I announced to Lily’s delight.

“Blake, a word please,” Wiess beckoned me away from the group. 

“Knowing you, I know you thought this over, but you haven’t been together in over half a decade, are you sure that you two are ready for this,” I nodded, glancing at a nervus Lily. “If you change your mind, you can join me in mine,” she offered.  
“Thanks for the offer, but I don’t think that I will take that offer.” I smiled as I walked back to the group, or more specifically, my oldest friend.


	9. good night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lily and Blake get ready for bed.

Everyone watched as I led Lily to my- no our room. She sat down on my bed facing me, as I closed the door, I sat down next to her, and she processed to put her head on my shoulder and wrap a feathery wing around me. “What if the white-haired girl was wright? It has been a while since we were together...” of course Lily was able to hear my “privet” conversation with Wiess, she is an owl faunus after all. 

A smile crossed my lips, as I stroked her hair. “Studies have shown that if your friends with someone for at least seven years, no matter how many years your apart, they’ll be friends for life. That’s how I know that this will work,” 

“Really?” she asked. 

I nodded in response, “and I knew it was true the moment that I laid my eyes on you.”

She smiled, looked me in the eyes and whispered: “me too, Blake, me too.”

I wanted to kiss her so badly, I wanted to feel the gentle touch of her lips once more. I could tell that she wanted it as well, she has been alone for too long, but it was too soon, maybe in a few days, but not now. 

“Why don’t we get some rest,” I suggested as looked down, breaking our gaze. “Jaune’s sister is coming over tomorrow. She does professional special effects makeup, she can make you look... different so the authorities won't be able to recognize you.”

“That makes sense, I knew that you’d have thought of some way to keep me from getting thrown behind bars again,” she smirked. I let out a small laugh as I threw a pillow at her, she laughed as well throwing it back. It was just like old times

I grabbed my pajama robe and was about to start undressing, when I felt my ex’s gaze. “I’ll go change in the bathroom,” I said awkwardly as I left the room to do just that.

Once changed I entered the room to find Lily staring longingly at the night sky through an open window. She didn’t acknowledge me entering but I know that she heard me come in. She always knows what’s going on around her, I know that that could not have changed since I left her.

“Lily, we should go to sleep now,” I stated, getting into my full-sized bed, making sure to leave plenty of room for the owl faunas. As sleep was approaching me I felt the mattress shift as the other woman got in.


	10. Breakfast

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> everyone wakes up and has breakfast

I woke up as light filtered in through the open window, I went to get up when I noticed a weight on me, it was Lily’s wing. She wrapped it around me, just like she used to. Then looked at her peaceful sleeping face. I heard the rumble of the usual early morning chaos down the hall, so I knew that it was probably time to get up. Until Lily is not the best in the mornings.

“Lily?” I whispered I was received incoherent mumbling. “Lily, it’s time to wake up...” more mumbling. I kept calling her name as I gently shook her until she begrudgingly awoke. 

“Blake,” she mumbled with a smile, then she realized what was going on and, blushing, hastily pulled her wing back to her back, “I’m so sorry,” she stumbled getting up.

“Come on Lily, let’s go eat,” with that I left the room the other faunus in tow.

As usual, Ren was cooking for those that eat hot breakfast, he seemed to have just finished making pancakes for his girlfriend, for there were some on her plate that she had yet to devour. He was currently making an omelet for Jaune. Yang was sitting around waiting for Ren to start her meal. Ruby was having a bowl of her surgery cereal, and Pyrrha was making herself a breakfast shake. 

“Morning!” Yang called, she was the first to notice us.  
As everyone was greeting each other. Wiess entered the room, ignoring everyone, and started the Kerig, she doesn't interact with people until she had her coffee, which was all she had in the mornings. Lily was a bit taken aback by all the friendly greetings, she really wasn’t used to people being nice to her. I knew that that was the reason, everyone else just assumed that she was a bad morning person, which they are not completely wrong about.

Within the hour everyone was fed and getting ready for the day, though Lily was still awkward because she was not used to all this positive attention. Soon she'd get even more attention when one of Jaune’s sisters arrives.


	11. chap 9: Cloud and Opal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jaune's sister and her partner Cloud come over with plans to give Lily a full makover.

“Yea that’s the address see ya soon,” the blond hang up and put away his scroll. “That was Opal, she’ll be here in around ten minutes. And her new partner, Cloud, is coming too.”

“Ok so who’s coming to see me, and why is it so important?” Lily fed up with not knowing what was going on, we wanted to keep it a surprise, thinking it would keep her calmer. That was not going as planned.

“Jaune has a sister, who specializes in special effects makeup, she’s coming over to give you a makeover. This way you can go out without being recognized and get arrested again,” I explained.

“I never thought of that!” she responded.

“Well, then it's a good thing you have us!” Nora energetically exclaimed, wrapping her arms around the faunus, who was still not used to affectionate contact, go ridged. Ren noticed Lily’s reaction and pulled his overly enthusiastic girlfriend away. I put my hand next to hers letting her decided whether she’d grab it or not. She did and quickly started to relax.

“Aw, the two of you are in love again, and it only took one night... in the same room!” Yang teased, earning her glares from a few people in the room and blushes from a few others. 

“Yang is that really necessary?” Wiess responded sternly. Yang simply shrugged. 

“So what exactly is she going to do to me and how?” questioned Lily.

“Um- you see I actually don’t know... she works in special effects makeup, always claimed that she could make anyone unrecognizable, so we decided that we should take her up on that offer. And we asked up if she could make the changes long-lasting. And she, well, agreed.” Jaune answered. 

“Lily, I should tell you that we didn’t give her the real reason for this makeover. We told her that you are running away from an... abusive situation but can not travel far.”

“I guess that makes sense it gives her deniability,” she responded. Then there was a knock at the door. Jaune went to get it.

“Jaune!” the new girl called out, bringing her brother into a hug. Her long hair was dyed multiple colors. Next to her was her partner, the had short navy hair.

“It’s nice to see you too Opal,” he responded, he turned to the other one, “you must be Cloud,” he got a nod in response.

Pyrrha went over and ushed them in and that couple helped bring all their bags inside. They must have brought half a studio with them, there were so many bags. 

“Would you something to drink?”

“Nah I’m good, but where’s the bathroom?” Cloud asked.

“Down the hall, last door on the right.”

“Thanks,” they responded as they hurried off.

“So, uh... is Cloud a boy or a girl?” questioned Lily.

“There agender so their not a boy or a girl, but you should let them explain that.” their girlfriend responded, cheerfully but almost mechanical, showing just how often she has to answer that question.

“You must be Lily” the multicolored haired girl stated as she went over to examine her. 

“Yea,” she responded, very uncounterable with how close Opal was to her.

“I think I have some ideas for you,” she said. Then she went over to a bag pulled out a sketchbook and a pencil sat down on the floor and started sketching.

“You know we have more chairs!” Norra piped up.

“No I’m fine, I need a flat surface to draw anyways!” she responded cheerfully.  
"Oh! we're already on to sketching," Cloud voiced their observation as they reentered the room, "either she was really inspired or I was in the bathroom longer than I thought!" they punctuated that with a slight laugh.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN  
next chapter we talk about gender! won't that be fun! ( I'm trans and so are most of my friends, so I know what I'm talking about.)


	12. chapter 11: Cloud is Cloud

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We learn a little bit about Cloud

Cloud squatted down next to their girlfriend and started commenting on the designs she was working on.   
  
After a moment Lily spoke up, “So Cloud, Opal said that you were agender or something like that and that you can explain it.”   
  
They sighed, “Opal you really should be able to explain it yourself by now, you've heard it enough times.”   
  
“I know but I don’t want to give them wrong information, or if they have questions I don’t know the answer to” she responded.   
  
“I know, it’s just sometimes it becomes kinda a hassle explaining myself all the time, man binary people are so lucky,” they huffed, then let out a sigh, “ok so do you know what do you know what transgender means?” Lily shook her head, and Cloud let out another sigh. ”Ok, so stop me if you have any questions, ok? So gender is in the brain, not the body, and for most people those two line up, but the people where that doesn't happen are trans, now here’s where it gets complicated-” their focus shifted to the Arc sister, who was sketching the whole time“ wait, Opal, don't do that you should move that there-” shifting their focus back to the faunus they continued, “so gender a triangular gradient, with blue, for boy in one corner red, for girl in the other and white, for neither in the last. The more red it is the more female the gender same with blue but for boys and for some people they don’t feel gender or feel less of it that where the lightness scall is for, I’m in the white corner, neither boy nor girl.”   
  
As all this was being processed the couple continued to work on some sketches.   
  
“So what bathroom do you use?” Nora asked.   
  
“I try to avoid public bathrooms as much as possible. I have really good blatter control.”   
  
Opal brought the questions to a halt as she stood up and walked over to Lily, showing her the sketches. “Here are a few ideas of what we can make you look like, it’s your look so you get the final say, if you don’t like these I can come up with another design,” the rainbow-haired woman smiled warmly.   
  
After a few moments of thinking, she picked a design, and the two artists started unpacking all of their bags.   
  
  


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**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn’t actually plan on making an entire chapter about gender but in the previous chapter I had Opal say that Cloud explains better so, I kinda felt the need...   
I’m trans and know what I’m talking about, and what Cloud has to go through.


	13. chapter 12: Jitters till the End

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Opal and Cloud finish make Lily look like a new person.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have very basically no knowledge of how special effects make up/prosthetics are actually made.
> 
> Enby is shorthand for non-binary

Opal and Cloud started unpacking bag after bag of items, most I could not fully identify. Then they called Lily over to make a mold of her face.

When they were done, I looked back at Lily who was looking very nervous.

“Ok, somethings wrong, what is it?” I asked her.

“Worried about getting a new look?” Cloud suggested, “you don’t have to worry about that.”

“You saw the pictures! We’re going to make you look beautiful don’t you worry, though you already look great!”

“I’m nervous about being in the real world,” the faunus answered, looking down at her hands.

“Wait wait what do you mean being in the real world where else could you have been!?” the arc sister was as always bubbly but now had un undertone of confusion.

“The White Fang, then jail,” Lily’s voice was deadpan. And the room went silent as the artists froze as they processed what was said, everyone was waiting to see how they would respond.

“We’re helping a war criminal!” the Arc sister shouted jumping farther away from her.

“Jaune, sweety, exactly what reason did you give your sister as to why she needed a makeover?”

“He-he, I kinda didn’t,” he nervously scratched the back of his head, “she didn’t ask for one... so I kinda... didn’t say anything...”

I comfortingly put my hands over hers, “It was more of a captive situation!” Nora piped up.

The enby walked over to their girlfriend and placed a hand on their shoulder, causing her to look them, “you know your brother, right?” their voice remained calm and collected, as they went back and forth with the multicolored haired woman.

“Of course I do! Silly I’ve known him my whole life! What kind of question is that?” she was confused by their question.

“And trust him, don't you?”

“Well, yea.”

“Then you trust that thought about whether she was dangerous and needs to be locked up or is safe to be part of society.”

“Yea but, she used to...” she trailed off not able to even finish that thought.

“And I used to think I was a boy! People change Opal, people change, we grow! We evolve.”

She let out a sigh, as she was talked into a proverbial corner. “Plus the orange-haired one said it was some kind of a captive situation, so let's help her out and make her unreliable, kay?” with that they cracked open the cast of her face and started sculpting on it.

“How were you captive with them anyways?” questioned Opal.

“Opal! Don't be rude that could be a sensitive topic!” their partner hissed.

“It’s ok,” Lily let out a sigh, “I was born into it and didn’t know how to leave, unlike Blake,” she shot me a sideways glance.

“You were there too!” Opal explained.

“It’s a long story,” I told them, even though I had a feeling that I’d be telling it anyway.

“Well were not going anywhere anytime soon,” Cloud responded gesturing to the mess around them and showing us mess on their hands.  


* * *

  
“You left leaving just a note! That’s so sad! I’m really sorry you had to go through that Lily!”

I opened my mouth to try to defend myself but I couldn’t find the words. I knew that I did the best that I could do given what I knew and the situation I was placed in but I still felt ashamed of my actions.

We talked about various things throughout the day as the artists worked they only took a short break for lunch. Opal said that they needed to be somewhere tomorrow afternoon so they had to make sure everything got finished that day.

It was around seven when Opal announced that the parts were done.

They walked us through how to attach the parts as they did.

“Yea because those off-colored parts look totally natural,” Wiess snarked.

“Well, we haven't airbrushed them to match her skin tone yet silly!!” Opal joyfully responded as she emptied the contents of the one bag that they didn’t open. She had completely gotten over her... concerns... about Lily as she and Cloud got to work painting the prosthetics directly on Lily’s face. Saying that Lily was uncomfortable with that situation would be an understatement. “Hang in there,” I whispered so quietly that only the owl faunus could hear. Eventually, they were done and the results were great, she looked like a completely different person. And tomorrow she’d start her life as a different person.

And for the first time in her life a completely free person. She was still tied down to a group, but now it was a group of friends that care, instead of an organization that wanted to use her.  


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**The end.**

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**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope you enjoyed this story!
> 
> If you want to know the story read the prequel story “The Death of Night” I wrote it years ago so I can't guaranty the quality of the writing.
> 
> Since you're done with this story, I have others that I’m working on, I have a Konijinki no Gash Bell(Zatch Bell) story that doesn't require any knowledge of the anime/manga. I have a Code Lyoko one, and I have two for My Hero Academia, a tododeku slow burn, and a miritama one-shot series. 
> 
> Since you reached the end, you must have enjoyed so please click kudos if you haven't already!


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